How to Prune Rosemary to a Cone Shape

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Rosemary, or Rosemarinus officinalis L., is a hardy evergreen, perennial plant that does well in pots and outdoors to Zone 8. In addition to its culinary value, rosemary serves as an ornamental, fragrant shrub or cascading groundcover in well-drained areas. Both upright and prostrate varieties of rosemary are available, and the upright varieties are easily pruned into hedges or topiary shapes such as cones, hearts and balls. Pruning rosemary into a cone shape can take several growing seasons. Therefore, the whole process includes caring for the plant in its pot.

1

Select an upright variety of rosemary to prune into a cone shape, such as Arp, Madalene Hill, Logee Blue, Miss Jessup or Tuscan Blue. Avoid the prostrate types.

2

Mix 2 parts potting soil with 2 parts peat moss and 1 part compost. Work the ingredients together well. Fill a pot with drainage holes three-quarters full of the mixture and pack firmly. Make a hole in the middle and set in a young rosemary seedling or an established plant from your garden. Pat the soil firmly around the root ball. Water the plant in lightly.

3

Insert a stake into the soil next to the plant and secure it to the stake with twist ties if you are starting with a young seedling. Inspect the staking periodically to make sure the rosemary is growing straight up.

4

Place the pot in a sunny location and turn it a quarter turn every few days. Protect it from wide temperature variations and do not expose it to extreme cold.

5

Water the soil, mist the rosemary leaves regularly and allow the soil to dry out between waterings. Use an all-purpose plant food and feed it every four or five times you water according to label directions.

6

Trim the rosemary plant often with pruning shears or sharp scissors. Trim it into an overall conical shape, leaving the bottom shoots longer than the top shoots. Allow the bottom branches to radiate outward to the edge of the pot. At first the shape will have gaps and holes, but eventually the foliage will fill these in. Continue trimming the cone shape closely on a regular basis.

Things You Will Need

Flowerpot with drainage holes

Potting soil

Peat moss

Compost

Stake

Twist ties

Pruning shears or sharp scissors

Tips

Watering a cone-shaped rosemary plant can be messy because the lower branches cover the soil.

Use the cone-shaped rosemary topiary as a holiday decoration by adding strings of lights or other ornaments.

Remove the leaves from the stem cuttings and use them as a fresh herb or dry them for later use.

About the Author

Karren Doll Tolliver holds a Bachelor of English from Mississippi University for Women and a CELTA teaching certificate from Akcent Language School in Prague. Also a photographer, she records adventures by camera, combining photos with journals in her blogs. Her latest book, "A Travel for Taste: Germany," was published in 2015.